Hey ya'll!
I have been mountain biking for 2 years now (cross country riding). I have gotten pretty good. However, I still have problems with my jumps. I ride a FS and I use spiked pedals for more grip (I don't like clipless). When my rear tire comes up the ramp, I sometimes loose my footing and control of the bike . I also can't get as much air as I would like . I always seem to land with the front end first. I know it's my technique . Can anyone give me any tips and tricks for smooth jumps?
If you could insert some pics to show technique, that would be awsome.

Thanks everybody!

Compress you body into the face and jump off the lip. This gives you heigh and control.

If you are used to bunnyhopping or jumping with clipless. Dump them and practice real bunny hops with flats. Bunny hopping and jumping use similar techniques, if you can't bunny hop your jumping will generally stink.

I'm probably going to get flamed for this question and it WILL show my sheer inexperience but, Is a Manual the same as what we used to call a wheelie back in the mid eighties?

It seems to be... whenever I see the term come up on threads it's vague, but sounds like pulling a wheelie...

incipit, a manual is like a wheelie but with no pedaling, just pure balance.

That explains it all

I am a motocross junkie and i "preload" my bike when i jump right the lip. I can't bunnyhop both wheels off the ground but i can preload and pull up my front wheel which is more or less what i do when i'm bouncing around the woods.

Personally, I find it easier to pump the shocks just before the jump, and then pull the bike up to you after you have taken off. This will keep your feet glued to the pedals and give you that all-important height. Most beginners jump and try to throw themselves higher when they are in the air to add height - this makes them unstable and it looks kinda' crap (espescially if you come off!) so, PUMP, JUMP and LIFT!

to bunny hop i used to pull the bars towards me and then away but now i can do it better. actually today i b-hopped up the curb for the first time today. i was so worried about not clearing the back tire and nocking it out of true as i have done with my POS schwinn. but i finally figured that if it gets messed up, ill get a better one sooner than later.

and jumping... pull up? im not very good at describing how to jump with words but i can clear a 4-5 foot gap on a 14" ramp to a 10" landing. is that good being 14 years old?

Hi ejgonz, Spikemyster's got it about right:

Practice your bunnyhops, even if you can only get up over speed bumps. The process is almost the same as pumping off a jump. A jump is really a bunnyhop assisted by some sort of varying transition (dirt, wood, cement). It might sound silly, but once you get the motion of the bunnyhop into one fluid movement, start using bumps in the road to help you bounce a little higher. Driveways/curbs are really good for this. As you crouch down slightly to 'pre-load' for your lift off, time it so that when you are lifting the front wheel, the front wheel is at the same time popping up off the bump/curb/what-have-you. When you your back wheel comes to the bump, you use the bump to help elevate the rear of the bike as well. I started on just little logs/sticks or 2x4's, speed bumps, driveways, and then just start looking for bigger things... As far as your jumping goes, it sounds like your trying to pump off the lip a little too much, which is why you are loosing your footing - you're jumping off the bike Best at this stage to really just ride off the jump fast, and learn to keep control of the bike - keep it level, straight, and land smooth. Once your bunnyhops improve, you'll understand how to apply them to the jumps.

You'll know you're getting it when you bunnyhops stop being a ONE-TWO motion, and become one fluid scoop up off the ground.

Anyways, that's about the most difficult thing in the world to explain by writing, but hope some of it helps, hang in there and I'm sure you'll catch on.